Conference Session

Insights for Teaching ECE Courses

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jie Sheng, University of Washington, Tacoma

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

helped them smoothly into the stage ofsenior project design. Exposing them to the powerful ARM MCUs challenged them with reading thousandsof pages of technical documents, but also trained them to grasp skills required by future industrialprojects. Students’ reflection on this effectiveness will be given later in Section IV.III. Efforts in Meeting Students’ Needs from Different DisciplinesStarting 2017, UWT launched the EE program, and TCES430 was offered to both CES and EE students as abig class. This brought new challenges to effective teaching due to (1) the large class size (2) diverseengineering backgrounds of the student group.Our efforts to ensure students’ learning outcomes include the following: (1) To maximize project-centered

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Agnieszka Miguel, Seattle University; Shiny Abraham, Seattle University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

developed between the studentand their faculty advisor.Teaching is at the center of all activities at Seattle University. All faculty members care abouttheir students and make sure that students in their classes receive personal attention and are givenall what is needed to be successful. We pride ourselves in creating a challenging but supportivelearning environment. Long office hours or even an “open-door policy” are the standard in ourdepartment. All faculty members take students’ end-of-quarter feedback about their classes veryseriously. Everybody reflects on what they can do better when they teach the course again. Wediscuss course outcomes in our faculty meetings and adjust them if they do not reflect the needsof our constituents.Most of our

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daria Gerasimova, George Mason University; Jill K. Nelson, George Mason University; Margret Hjalmarson, George Mason University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

profiles developed. In contrast to the study described in [6], wedifferentiated between two dimensions of engagement – behavioral and emotional – andseparately explored the levels of engagement in each dimension. We also used a differenttimeframe; rather than considering a single class period, we asked students to reflect on theirengagement across the entire semester. These differences allowed us to develop a comprehensivepicture of student engagement profiles, which we hope will be useful for electrical engineeringinstructors. Specifically, knowledge of students’ engagement profiles may help instructors tounderstand the various ways students engage in a course. This knowledge may also help informinstruction and course management

Conference Session

ECE Division Poster Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aaron Carpenter, Wentworth Institute of Technology; James R. McCusker PhD, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

that received a 25 on the quiz, but then got all answerscorrect during the retake would receive a 70 to reflect both their initial low score and their newunderstanding. Figure 1 illustrates the original and post-retake averages and the number ofeligible retakes.After revisiting the quiz, students were asked of their sources for studying the quiz (after theinitial grading cycle). These sources were gathered qualitatively, and then coded and converted toquantitative data. The sources are listed in Figure 2. The sources themselves were not factoredinto the grading of the retake. However, if the student cited a source that was deemedinappropriate or less trustworthy, the instructor would discuss other possible sources.Additionally, good sources

Conference Session

Software & Web-based Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul William Viglucci, Binghamton University; Aaron P. Carpenter, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

mesh.window is synchronized to reflect the current state of the entire network. The internal frames inENoCS show various levels of detail: • Network Topology: Illustrates the routers and links and shows the movement of packets/flits through the chosen topology. • Router Information: Shows the microarchitecture of the router. The buffers in the router fill with color-coded packets (colors match the packets/flits in the topology window). The router stages are also shown and color-coded appropriately. • Network Flow: Tracks each packet from injection to ejection in a text window. • Statistics: Gives run-time statistical analysis of network behavior. This includes per hop latency, total latency, network bandwidth, and bi-section

Conference Session

Flipped Electrical and Computer Engineering Classrooms 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vignesh Subbian, University of Cincinnati; Gregory Warren Bucks, University of Cincinnati; Jason C Heikenfeld, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

electrical engineering courses as well), but it is no replacement for repetition of key calculations that must be preserved in learning activities. Related excerpts from student feedback: 1. “Most of the band diagram concepts would have been difficult to grasp in a traditional lecture. It seemed like the video lectures helped, but actually drawing them out in class under different conditions (positive voltage applied to one side, currents in different locations, etc) really helped solidify the concepts.” 2. “Anytime the videos introduced a new equation to use… using it in class and breaking down each component helped clarify the most.” Excerpt from instructor’s own reflection

Conference Session

Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Digital Systems Education 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joanne Bechta Dugan, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science students. DLD,as the course is locally known, has long enjoyed a reputation as a fun class, and it’s been apopular choice for non-majors as an elective. In recent years, rapidly increasing class size and amove to a larger lecture hall resulted in an increased barrier between the instructor and thestudents; students became more passive and absenteeism increased. Hence there was a need toincrease student engagement, to help overcome the barriers created by increasing class sizes, andto restore the sense of fun.DLD has been a topic of considerable interest at ASEE for many years and recent ASEEpublications reflect several trends. The prevalent use of hardware description languages (HDL

Conference Session

Labs & Hands-on Instruction II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lei Zhang, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Ibibia K. Dabipi, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Yuanwei Jin, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Payam Matin, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

experience Active Experimentation Reflective Observation planning/trying what has been learned reviewing/reflecting on the exprience Abstract Conceptualization concluding/learning from the experience Fig. 1. Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning [7]. However, practically there are many obstacles in applying Experiential Learning methods. Thefirst problem comes from the limitation of students’ knowledge and experience, as wells as the © American

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Raviv, Florida Atlantic University; Luan Leao Gloria, Florida Atlantic University/ Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Michael R. Levineand Last Best Chance, LLC, for the continuous support. 6. References[1] Online. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/[2] Dewitt, Tyler (2013) Ted Talks: Hey Science Teachers Make it FUN.http://www.ted.com/talks/tyler_dewitt_hey_science_teachers_make_it_fun.html , .[3] 2014 Reflections on Gamification for Learning.http://karlkapp.com/2014-reflections-on-gamification-for-learning/, . [Online; Acessed in 23-Jan-2015].[4] Gartner Reveals Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users for 2013 and Beyond.http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2211115. [Online; Acessed in 23-Jan-2015 ].[5] Anany Levitin and Maria Levitin. Algorithmic Puzzles. Oxford University Press, Great Britain. ISBN 978 019974044 4.[6] Understanding Poles and Zeros

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 9

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nisha Kondrath, Villanova University; Mark A. Jupina, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

simulations on theirown, whenever and wherever they wanted to do these. The students did like the portability ofthe myDAQ unit and were initially surprised by the number of features available in such a smallunit. A few students used the myDAQs to perform measurements in other courses. However,students’ comments for question 11 reflected the many issues that arose during the semester withthe myDAQs. Students felt that the NI myDAQ package was expensive (~$200), the softwarewas hard to install, the myDAQ was “buggy” and the measurement software crashed at times,and the myDAQ measurements were not always as reliable as the measurements performed withthe lab equipment. In the responses to question 12, a few students commented that they were ableto learn

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Don Millard, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Mohamed Chouikha, Howard University; Frederick Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

learning to occur: 1) Active Experimentation (protoboards, simulations, case study,homework), 2) Reflective Observation (logs, journals, brainstorming), 3) AbstractConceptualization (lecture, papers, analogies), and 4) Concrete Experience (laboratories, fieldwork, observations). This project is investigating the impact on student learning outcomesproduced by incorporation of the Mobile Studio pedagogy in courses that will be delivered usingthe Kolb cycle to sequence the courses’ activities as follows: 1. Students are introduced to topics and are then asked to formulate hypotheses and plan/perform experiments to determine the validity of their intuition. 2. The students relate their outcomes to real-life applications and provide a sense as

Conference Session

Digital and Embedded System Design

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Liang Hong, Tennessee State University; Md Hasanuzzaman, Tennessee State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

the BlackBoard or WebCT systems. The immediatefeedbacks will not only help learners to contemporaneously reflect on their learning, but alsocontribute to reflection by educators on the overarching learning design. It has been founded byBrosvic et al. that when confronted with previously encountered quiz questions on the finalexamination, a significant improvement in retention will be achieved if the students were initiallyprovided with immediate feedback rather than delayed feedback or no feedback, and even greaterretention when provided with multiple attempts on the initial encounter.To make it easier to use CAPE-authored learning experience, the eLMS platform can betransparently embedded into BlackBoard and WebCT systems. Therefore

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Chang, USMA; Grant Jacoby, USMA; Lisa Shay, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

take the class because they believe that using robotics as a teaching tool fits theirlearning style; robotics not only assisted learning, applied properly it inspires students to learn.Nevertheless, there are various learning styles, they vary from person to person, and most peoplehave many of them. McKeachie reflected that too many teachers think of students as a Page 12.1174.4featureless mass; too many rarely vary their teaching methods, thinking that the method bywhich they were taught is best for everyone [4]. However learning styles are preferences andhabits of learning that have been learned and everyone is capable of going beyond the

Conference Session

Integrating Research Into Undergraduate ECE Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Florida Tech; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Ken Ports, Florida Tech; Richie Samuel, University of Central Florida; Melinda White, Seminole Community College; Veton Kepuska, Florida Tech; Philip Chan, Florida Tech; Annie Wu, University of Central Florida; Marcella Kysilka, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

constitutethe anchor of an elaborate dissemination plan that is multi-faceted and self-sustained. Moreover,it plans to impact 80 students in a span of 2 years, some of which are members ofunderrepresented groups (in particular UCF and SCC students). Additional, distinctcharacteristics are reflected in the immediate objectives of Project EMD-MLR, which are listedbelow 1. Introduce research into the undergraduate curriculum of many engineering and science disciplines. The number of undergraduate students that will be affected by the project will be 40 per year, 80 in total. 2. Develop educational materials focused on Machine Learning, that will be of value to many academicians, students and professionals with interest in this field, or

Conference Session

Assessment of Learning in ECE

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Youakim Kalaani, Georgia Southern University; Rami Jubrail Haddad, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

) Page 24.124.6Assessment ResultsAs stated earlier, the assessment process of student learning outcomes is based on direct andindirect measurements. Table 3 shows the results of indirect measurements, or surveys, as meanaverages on a scale of 5 of the appropriateness of student learning outcomes as perceived byPAC members, EE faculty and EE students. (Note: twenty samples of students’ responses wereused as feedback). Survey results indicated that all outcomes met the target level (3.5), exceptthat outcome ‘i’ is slightly below (3.4) target, reflecting the faculty’s desire to enhance “students’ability to conduct research in the electrical engineering discipline as part of a life-long learning.” Table 3- Appropriateness of Student Outcomes

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth A. Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dianna L. Newman, University at Albany/SUNY; Meghan Morris Deyoe, University at Albany/SUNY; Craig J. Scott, Morgan State University; Mohamed F. Chouikha, Howard University; Yacob Astatke, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

involves awareness andunderstanding of barriers as well as knowledge of potential benefits. For the Mobile Studioproject, this entailed challenges that are inherent to implementation of any new instructionalapproach (e.g., instructor experience, administrative support, and assistance in acquiring neededresources) as well as specific challenges reflective of the philosophy underlying a mobile studiopedagogy (e.g., the need for accessibility and mobility of the device and support for aconstructivist approach to learning). Information pertaining to these areas is presented below.3.a. Prior Experience Instructor and students’ lack of experience with constructivist philosophies of educationand use of Mobile Studio devices were found to impede or

Conference Session

Experiential Learning in ECE

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mihaela Radu, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Clint S. Cole, Digilent, Inc.; Joe Harris, Digilent, Inc.; Mircea Dabacan, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

is an impossible topic tomaster. The current method of teaching analog circuits focuses on procedural, quantitative andanalytical methods to describe individual circuits 2.According to3, there are four types of learners: Type 1(concrete, reflective)-the diverger; Type2(abstract, reflective)-the assimilator; Type 3(abstract, active)-the converger; Type 4 (concrete,active)-the accommodator. Traditional science and engineering instruction focuses almostexclusively on lecturing, a style comfortable for only Type 2 learners. Effective instructioninvolves teaching all learning styles–motivating each new topic (Type 1), presenting the basicinformation and methods associated with the topic (Type 2), providing opportunities forpracticing the methods

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bill Yang, Western Carolina University; Phillip Sanger, Western Carolina University; Patrick Gardner, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

not have well-defined requirements initially or the requirements can changeover the course of the project. For such projects, requirements management can be essential. Allthese complex features of project management reflect the dynamic and complex nature of thereal world. While the teaching and learning of project management in an undergraduatecurriculum can only focus on the fundamentals, appreciation of these complex facets of realworld project management is valuable and can be attainable through more open-ended seniorcapstone projects such as an undergraduate research project.A Stage-Gate Structure of Engineering and Technology Capstone ProjectsProject management should be introduced early in the student’s development so that the

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Shey, United States Naval Academy; Ryan Rakvic, United States Naval Academy; Thomas Salem, United States Naval Academy; Samara Firebaugh, United States Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Fairchild SemiconductorQRB1134 Phototransistor Reflective Object Sensor. Using this sensor, allows the students tomake a line following robot by properly selecting resistors to properly bias the sensor as shownin Figure 2. This sensor also covers signal conditioning because it outputs a digital signal, butthis requires the students to evaluate whatvoltages are evaluated as a logical “0” and alogical “1” by the controller. VSourceThe second sensor used is the MaxSonar EZ0 Current Pull-upUltrasonic Range Finder. This sensor offers Limiting Resistormultiple output

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention, and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Constance D. Hendrix, U.S. Air Force Academy; Marcus L. Roberts, U.S. Air Force Academy; William J. Eccles, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Jeffrey Butler, U.S. Air Force Academy; Randall Deppensmith, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

waste of time. 35% Figure 6. Course Reflection, Fall 2011.Motivational Challenges"Electrical Engineering?" "Electronic Systems?" "We have to take an engineering course? But,I'm an English major." "Why should I care about engineering?" These are common reactionsfrom students on Lesson 1 of this 40-lesson course. Indeed, these are valid questions. So duringLesson 1, each instructor is challenged to convince these students that this course is relevant.Then, during every succeeding lesson, they continue to motivate the students to learn and to beinterested, not just regurgitate information. Unless a student is motivated to learn the material,the information presented is unlikely to be committed to

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert O'Connell, University of Missouri, Columbia; Pil-Won On, University of Missouri, Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

work by all students and for the convenience of rearrangingclassroom desks into tidy squares for group work. Both classes were given instruction, during afull class period at the beginning of the semester (with regular reminders throughout thesemester), on what was expected of them during group work. Those expectations included: 1-following a simple problem-solving scheme, which included brief individual reflection, briefgroup brainstorming to decide a solution approach, and then interactive work with discussion Page 25.1241.4until the problem is solved; and 2- using good interpersonal team skills, which includedspeaking, listening, and peer

Conference Session

Recruitment, Retention and First-year Programs in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John W Pritchard, Iowa State University; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

device alone. Manufacturers usually provide libraries, header files, etc. that make interfacing to the specific hardware easier. However, it is becoming more common that these well- known languages are being modified or refined to contain commands or structures that are better suited with the hardware. Often times these modifications include commands whose name reflect the desired hardware-based outcome. For example, the command “analogRead(2)” reads the analog voltage at pin 2 on a certain embedded system. This is a built-in function which is pre-installed with the IDE for this device. Systems with built-in commands that intuitively describe the intended result generally allow the user to focus less on software challenges

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Improvement

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

JianJian Song, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Deborah Walter, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Edward Wheeler, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

? important EM fundamentals 4 4 1 Electrical and magnetic flux and field structure 6 2 1 Material properties – loss and dispersion 4 5 High-speed behavior of passive components 2 7 Wave propagation and reflection 5 4 Transmission lines – time domain analysis 6 3 Transmission lines – frequency domain analysis 5 4 Matching and termination 4 5 S-parameters

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randal Abler, Georgia Tech; James Krogmeier, Purdue University; Aaron Ault, Purdue University; Julia Melkers, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tamara Clegg, Georgia Institute of Technology; Edward Coyle, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Florida Institute of Technology; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Veton Kepuska, Florida Institute of Technology; Kenneth Stanley, University of Central Florida; Alison Morrison-Shetlar, University of Central Florida; Pat Lancey, University of Central Florida; Paula Krist, University of Central Florida; Tace Crouse, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Debriefing, where all students and mentors would gatheragain to reflect on the activities and accomplishments of the day. During the Debriefing ashort account was discussed of what had transpired during the day, what had beenaccomplished, what problems had occurred, how they were overcome, etc. Additionally, planswere forged and coordinated for the next day, if applicable. It was rather common that, after thedaily Debriefing, the project staff from the two sites would communicate with each other aboutthe day’s progress and issues encountered.C. Research ActivitiesStudent participants in AMALTHEA are typically organized in research teams typicallyconsisting of 1-3 REU students, a graduate mentor (when possible) and a faculty mentor. Theresearch topic

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 6

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meeko Oishi, University of New Mexico; Vanessa Svihla, University of New Mexico; Victor Law, University of New Mexico

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

conceptualgains on a concept inventory, but made smaller gains on final exam problem solving questions,compared to a traditional classroom.Overall, we see the collaborative quizzes as a well-aligned assessment tool for the active learningclassroom. This approach fostered improved co-regulation skills, and students who started withthe lowest levels of conceptual knowledge had similar course outcomes to those who began withhigher scores.In reflecting on our observations of the course, we also feel the collaborative quizzes were well-received. The majority of students participated fully and were engaged with the materials. It wasnot uncommon to hear students in extended discussions, particularly about the latter questions inthe quizzes, which tended to

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 5

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saharnaz Baghdadchi, University of California, San Diego; Rebecca Anne Hardesty, University of California, San Diego; Paul Andreas Hadjipieris, University of California, San Diego; Jace Hargis, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

difficult2 – Not very difficult3 – Somewhat difficult4 – Moderately difficult5 – Very difficult To develop the skill-set of researchers involved in this project who were new toqualitative methodology and to identify features of our presentation that facilitated or hinderedthe experts understanding the exam questions and coming to a consensus, we decided to conducta beta version of the focus group. In the course of the beta focus group and upon reflection, we decided to make thefollowing changes to our procedure for the official focus group: 1. Because the experts often ranked questions as being between two levels of difficulty, e.g. between a “2” and a “3,” we determined that a scale of 1 - 10 would be more useful for

Conference Session

First-Year Issues in ECE Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy N. Thomas, DigiPen Institute of Technology; Christopher Theriault, DigiPen Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, in lumens, the amount of light indirectly reflected into Earth’s atmosphere.”This project relied on the operation of both a thermistor and photoresistor. Since thephotoresistor has a varying sensitivity due to temperature, the thermistor data are used to correctfor this, but not transmitted to the ground station. This team was able to participate in both thetethered launch and the rescheduled high-altitude launch. During the tethered launch the balloonnot travelling a great enough distance to produce a significant variance in the sensor output, ascan be seen in Figure 5. This team also discovered problems with some of their circuitcomponents becoming loose or damaged during the flight. As the flight travelled no appreciabledistance, the data

Conference Session

Insights for Teaching ECE Courses

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Laura K. Alford, University of Michigan; Amir Kamil, University of Michigan; Andrew Deorio, University of Michigan

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

’ ratings fromone moment in time to another. Each survey included 13 questions intended to capture a student’soverall sense of community, derived from the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction andFrustration Scale [22]: Thinking about your experiences in your undergraduate studies so far, please indicate how true each statement is for you on a scale of 1 (Not at all true) to 5 (Extremely true). Each question also included a ”Not Applicable” option. 1. I feel a sense of choice and freedom in what I undertake 2. I feel capable at what I do 3. I really like the people I interact with 4. I feel confident that I can do things well 5. I feel that my decisions reflect what I really want

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Caroline Crockett, University of Michigan; Cynthia J. Finelli, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

capture students interest in and perceivedvalue in learning EE. The questions asked how likely students are to major in EE, if learning SSin interesting, and if students think learning the different SS topics will benefit their career.For both instructional variables, we use subjective student opinions rather than a measure of theteaching style or amount of homework assigned; our commentary is not meant to reflect on thequality of the given instructor. For the instructional quality variable, we use responses to aLikert style question that asked students to rate the overall quality of instruction in SS. Forinstructional quantity, we asked students to self-report the average numbers of hours they spenton homework each week and what percentage of